Wilted Roses
by PeninhandST
Summary: What happened before Sweeney Todd? When Sweeney was Benjamin Barker and lived happily with his wife. But was life as good as he makes out for it to be in the future? Sweeney/Lucy, Sweeney/Lovett.


Wilted Roses

The sun shone through the window, lighting the room and warming it from the bitter cold the night had left behind. The room appeared bright even without the glorious sunlight. Striped yellow wallpaper was plastered on every wall, a giant window hung over a double bed, its covers laced and white appearing very inviting. Two silhouettes under the covers in their comfortable double bed remained asleep. Their chests rose and fell as they breathed silently, lost in sweet dreams with their arms wrapped comfortably around each other. The sun's rays moved slowly across the floor until its mocking light fell upon their faces. One of the forms stirred and squinted his eyes shut tighter as the orange glow through his eyelids beckoned him to wake. He tried to sink under the covers, so that the shadow would save him from the bright light. But it was too late, his dreams were extinguished and his mind had awoke.

His eyes fluttered open as he admitted defeat, and instantly fell upon the beautiful woman that lay, still in slumber, beside him. Still sleepy, he broke into a smile as he lifted his hand from under the covers and ran a finger down her soft pale skin across her cheek, until it had finally reached her plump lips. His finger ran gently along her bottom lip, teasing himself rather then this beauty, as his smile disappeared to an expression of disbelief. He still couldn't believe this woman was his wife, and that she loved him just as much as he loved her. Not even the sweet dreams he left behind could cause him to envy what he had in his waken days.

The beautiful woman suddenly groaned and her lips parted as she whispered out "Benjamin". But her eyes remained shut. She was still sleeping, and Benjamin's face broke into a smile once more as she involuntarily told him what she was dreaming about.

He removed his finger from her sensitive lips so he could place the palm of his hand upon her forehead, which he stroked back so that it left her smooth skin to her soft subtle blonde hair, which had the suns light bouncing back off, causing the blonde locks to appear golden.

No longer being able to contain himself, as him wanting to be closer to her cursed through his body, he leaned into her and his lips met her forehead in a soft gentle kiss. It was now Lucy's turn to smile, as she woke to the man she loved, passing affectionate to her. Her eyelids slowly opened, revealing bright blue eyes which sparkled at the sight of her lover. He in turn returned her smile as his sleeping beauty woke from his kiss. His dark brown eyes which showed nothing but love and affection gazed directly into Lucy's.

"Did you have a nice sleep, Mrs Barker?" He asked teasingly as he placed an elbow upon his pillow and rested his handsome head within the palm of his hand.

"Did you sleep /at all/, Mr Barker?" She replied with a raised eyebrow, returning a mocking smile to his teasing tone.

"Of course I did" He said, slightly shocked, yet curious to why she would ask that.

"Hmm" She continued in her mocking tone, deliberately trying to tease him, enjoying the look of confusion and curiosity upon her husband's face as she leaned closer to him. Snuggling up to his body and resting her chin upon his chest, so that she could still gaze into those warm brown eyes. "I fall asleep with you awake, and I wake to you /still/ awake. Maybe Mr Barker can't keep his eyes off me?" She teased, her mockery starting to crack with a giggle.

Benjamin's eyebrows rose further and further up his forehead, until his confusion broke into a confident smirk. It was now Lucy's turn to stare at him in curiosity and confusion. "What?" She asked, when her husband remained silent. Only his smirk telling her something she knew not of.

"Why would I need to stay awake to watch you, my dearest, when I am already /clearly/ in your dreams?" He replied in a smug tone. Knowing the victory in this teasing competition he would soon taste.

"You flatter yourself far too much, my love" Lucy chuckled, although there was still uncertainty within her voice. _**How on earth did he know she was dreaming about him?**_

"Oh really?" He teased, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to his body, so that every breath she took, every heartbeat she made, could be felt upon his chest. His own heartbeats and breaths meeting with hers, making it difficult to tell whose heartbeat was which. "Then I must tell you, I was awake before yourself because you were talking in your sleep, and you deprived me of my own" Lucy's eyes widened up at her husbands, and he smirked more when he saw the realisation upon his wife's face that he had indeed won this battle. "You whispered..." He lowered his own voice to a whisper, and tried to imitate Lucy's voice, putting a loving purr in every syllable of his name "..."Benjamin""

"I did not!" She instantly protested, playfully pinching Benjamin's sides. But it was too late. The expression she wore upon her face easily told Benjamin that she had indeed dreamt about him, and he chuckled heartily as his wife tried to deny this.

Mr Barker placed both his palms upon the mattress and pulled himself up into a sitting position, so that Lucy slid down his chest and rolled as she tried to keep her balance upon her front from her sudden husband's movements, causing her to shriek and laugh playfully, as the back of her head finally rested upon her husband's lap. She smiled up at him as he began stroking her blonde locks, and he smiled back down at her, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What about me were you dreaming of?" He teased, "Was you...calling me to your side as you lay in that laced corset?"

Lucy frowned at this, trying to regain her dignity as her cheeks flushed a tinge of pink. Quickly gathering a confident composure and forcing her voice to sound truthful as the skin upon her cheeks began to give her away, she quickly replied, "Actually /Mr Barker/ I was dreaming of our Johanna crying in the dead of night, and asking you to tend to her /this/ time" She pouted up at her husband. But the sides of her mouth began to twitch as she tried to contain a smile. She was never any good at lying, but Benjamin was a naive man. Easily fooled. However, this time he saw straight past his wife's lies and grinned wider.

"You're blushing, my love" He removed his hands from her hair and gently placed the back of them upon her cheeks "You should feel the heat coming from your skin" He teased. Lucy swiped his hands away, causing him to chuckle. But it was at that point that a smaller figure from an ivory white cot, situated on the other side of the room began to stir. Its tiny hands seen through the ivory bars began grasping at the air for that comforting protector. It was no more than a few seconds of grasping invisible air that the tiny baby realised her protectors were not by her side at that moment, so a little whine escaped her lips, which threatened to get louder should her protectors not reach her soon.

Lucy and Benjamin looked in the direction of the small whimper, before Lucy looked back up at her husband, with a smirk upon her face. "Benjamin..." she purred every syllable through her lips, in the same way Mr Barker had done when mocking her about her dream "...could you /tend/ to her?"

Benjamin rolled his eyes at the obvious mockery from his wife. But he smiled down at her and replied "of course Mrs Barker" before he leaned down and kissed her forehead once more. Lucy sat up to free Benjamin as he began shifting his legs around to the edge of the bed, pulling the covers away from his body. Goosebumps rose across his bare skin as soon as the covers was taken away, causing his body to long for the warmth he had left behind. A small shiver ran up his spine as he trailed his fingers through his dark brown locks and yawned.

Lucy giggled as she noticed his shiver and wrapped the now extra amount of spare quilt around her, while she moved onto Benjamin's side of the bed, which felt a lot more warmer than her own side. Hearing her giggle, Mr Barker stood up, casually grasping hold of the laced quilt as he walked across the wooden floorboards towards the cot, dragging quilt with him.

Lucy let out a gasp as she felt the covers being tugged away, and helplessly tried to keep hold of them. But they slipped through her fingers in ease and she was left exposed to the cool air, causing goose bumps to raise upon her skin in turn. "Benjamin!" She cried, as she tucked her legs up to her chest, trying to escape the cold, which her frail nightdress spared no mercy too.

Benjamin sleepily chuckled as he finally reached the side of the ivory cot, its occupant still calling out for her protectors. He leaned down and placed his hands either side of the baby's waist and hoisted her up into his arms, revealing a baby with golden locks, blue eyes and pale skin, just like her mothers. The baby Johanna instantly silenced as she felt the gentle touch of her stronger protector and nuzzled her nose into his chest, squeezing her eyes shut tight to cast out the sunlight and allow her to sleep for a while longer. "Good morning my turtle dove" Benjamin cooed down at her, smiling warmly as the child pressed her face into his chest.

Giving up on trying to stay warm, Lucy climbed out of the bed and gracefully strode across the floor to her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and resting her pale cheek upon his upper arm to gaze down at her daughter. "The new owners of our apartment and shop downstairs are moving in today, Benjamin" she whispered quietly as Johanna fell asleep in her father's arms. "we should give them a gift basket, since we will be paying them the rent from now on"

Benjamin absent mindedly nodded, only half listening as he continued to smile down at his daughter.

"I wonder what our new neighbours are like..." Lucy queried when her husband remained silent.

"I heard the wife is renovating downstairs into a pie shop, and the husband is purchasing the butchers shop around the corner" Benjamin finally replied, as he forced his gaze away from his beautiful daughter, turning his face to gaze at his beautiful wife instead.

Lucy smiled as that handsome face finally had time to gaze at her. Her heart pounded as he smiled, causing her legs to feel like jelly and butterflies to flutter around her stomach. He always had this captivated hold over her, as it was for Benjamin towards Lucy, who always felt the same powers of love as she did. They remained silent for a few moments, gazing into each other's eyes, while the child breathed softly in her slumber, until Lucy raised herself higher so that her soft lips could meet with Benjamin's. Their lips massaged the other's, causing them to moan slightly at the taste of their partner, before Lucy quickly pulled away not wanting to allow it to become too passionate, since they had a lot to do today. She flustered slightly and let out a sigh as she had to deprive her body from what she now lusted for, but she knew it would have to wait, and she was bound to receive that lust later tonight. Benjamin, however, wore an expression which almost pleaded for that lust right now. Lucy chuckled and shook her head. "We have to get dressed and go to the market, Benjamin. The neighbours will be here by lunchtime." She smiled still as that lust driven expression remained upon his face, but she turned away and sat at the dressing table, picking up a silver brush she began combing through her beautiful yellow hair.

Benjamin strode over to the window. He always liked staring out to the street below, to see the happenings that were taking place. It was only then that he began to actually wonder what the new neighbours were going to be like. He had heard the rumours on Fleet Street, at how the Lovett's had moved to London to save their marriage and gain business. But it was only rumours, after all.


End file.
